Paleo Piece

Post by Miriam Berlow-Jackson.

About a Week Ago

                                   

So, 8 days ago, I wrote about doing THIS diet because of THIS. I quickly realised that the Newcastle Diet was too much like suffering and crash dieting and would be basically impossible for me to manage for 8 weeks. I asked for advice and opinions from all and the ONLY person that was advocating for it was my brother! Then a trillion different people suggested Paleo, there were suggestions of other ones, but they had numbers in their title and that put me off, being number dyslexic and all! 

I had heard many online friends talk about Paleo in different threads, but I usually skimmed over them.  I was also clearly still in denial about needing to change, scoffing chocolate every day since Millie was born and living on high carbs easy quick saturated fat coated in breadcrumbs type meals most of the time.  It was like chocolate was my reward for doing a Gestational Diabetes diet during my pregnancy with her! Yeah I know two years is a long time to keep saying 'I deserve it!'. I deserve to be healthy.

Anyway,  I'd caught the jist that this was a way of eating that dated back to the beginning, before oven ready food and before agriculture found grains and before sugar. 

It's only been a week but  what I can gather so far, are that the things to be eaten are meat and berries and fish and seeds and fruit and chicken and veg and basically REAL food, not processed fish in a batter and chips, not garlic bread or tinned soup or quorn pie or pizza or filled tortellini with pasta sauce or porridge and most certainly not sugar.  No chocolate or crisps or biscuits. Easy quick tasty food.  And it is tasty. But not healthy. I did occasionally cook real vegetables but I almost always mixed it with some type of grain or legume (cous cous, pasta, rice, chick peas, butter beans, lentils- is that Paleo, no idea?!)  and of course chips. Usually oven chips.  I've already been converted on the benefits of cooking with coconut oil instead of vegetable or sunflower or any other high smoke oil, so that was helpful.

I'm reading about it now, lots of different articles, stories and I'm cooking food.  I'm making meals. I'm eating fresh real food just without the grains and the sugar and the dairy for now. I'm getting loads of encouragement and support which is totally brilliant and definitely needed with such a massive change.   I know I need to watch my fruit intake because blood sugar level reduction is my ultimate goal. Tonight my level was 6.8, the lowest for a long time! 

I'm still learning about whats considered paleo or not but I'm beginning to understand since joining the trail (see if it leads me to eating better) that many people do things differently and at their own personal pace and journey. There are just some foods that are harder to leave behind than others and as many people have pointed out, as we evolved, so did our food availability and no-one *really* knows.  

That means, I'm still eating ketchup, although I've made my own no sugar healthier version suggested to me.  I'm also seeing the problems arising since the initial flourish and highend kick ass motivation is dying down and I realise that I will at some point need to make food that my children and hubby will also eat, since I am still cooking separately for them.  Hubby is still on the quorn version and girls are still on pasta or fish fingers!! I'm definitely going to start missing things like chickpeas and cous cous and potatoes and putting things inside a sandwich or a bun and sometimes cheese but I'm hoping that this jump start onto healthier eating will allow my body to eat those things again if I need to. 

I am also pretty sure at some point, I'm going to want chocolate. Like milk chocolate. All the chocolate eggs in the supermarket are taunting me. I LOVE my chocolate.  I know there are substitutes and maybe the healthy eating and supplements with decrease my cravings but I doubt they will be gone forever. I mean just LOOK!

Of course I'm not forgetting the  massive  small issue of exercise and getting more....one step at a time!

I am obviously drawn to Paleo for some reason. Yet, it also makes sense. I raise my babies the cave way, surely I should also be eating the cave way!!!

Meltdowns - something is going on with Ellie, she is ALL over the place

Losing the Plot - in the restaurant today after the girls were just too much

Breastfeeding - yup! still happening.  All. The. Time!!!

Thinking about it....

(Post written on Thursday 3rd April that I forgot to properly publish)

I've started researching the paleo diet. SO many people have been talking about it and have said it's the best way to go. I'm dubious of my abilities to ditch the processed food and actually properly cook.  Not sure when I'll find the time and energy but here goes.....what harm could it do me? None as far as I can tell. Although the detoxing side effects will be tough and the cravings will be hell, apparently it will all be worth it.

I've downloaded the app Is It Paleo? to help me along. All I need to do is get rid of all the processed stuff which means eating it, so I won't be starting yet. I enjoyed my breaded Camembert tonight and my fish in a batter. I'll miss the easiness of sticking it in the oven. 

Oh crap. What am I doing? Oh yeah...getting healthy!!